And an age when you can feel overwhelmed by fad diets and food pyramids -- -- coming health advice Michael Pollan has just seven words of advice for you. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants -- first published that simple guideline in his best selling book food rules and now is an updated edition with new rules and illustrations by the celebrated artist Mirant common. And I had a chance to talk to Michael Pollan about these new food rules. The first food rules huge success. And apparently though there are. Ever so many rules to -- why update. Just thought you know that the whole premise of this book is that the conversation of culture in which -- say the wisdom of your mother in your grandmother and great grandmother has more to teach us about how to eat well. Then all the scientific studies in the world so far. And so that conversation it turns out kept going on after the book was published -- people started sending me. Rules that they had heard from their mothers or grandmothers and they were really good and I wanted to include them. What sort of impact that it had. He -- prince is grocery store while the food industry responded I mean that the basic idea the book is to help you distinguish real food from what I -- edible food like substances. And there's a lot more of those now in the supermarket and -- one of my rules for example is. Shop the periphery of the store that's -- produce meat dairy fish you know that the -- process stuff the real food and stay out of the middle were all the process stuff that's. Well now in response to that rule -- you see the industry trying to move package goods. Into the produce section started with -- -- and ranch dressing and now -- fruit juices and all sorts of processed junk. That are now next to the -- -- about nineteen rules and I want to talk about some of them first. No labels on the table. Yeah and the risk that the thought there is that you know attainable what happens tables meals is is -- really ceremonial wonder wonderful occasion and we shouldn't pollute it. With advertising messages and packaging we should take control of our diet and our -- back from these companies that want to sell it to us. And even if we are gonna have take out -- -- out of the containers put on a play this is your place not there's -- Not just about meals as well snacking here is arguable he has celebrated a pastime as we have -- country -- say there's an important question to ask yourself before. We don't need for a lot of reasons that have nothing -- hunger we got sadness depression boredom. Distract -- and and I deal with this because -- I work at home and I wandered down -- the kitchen every half hour or so -- was to get up for my -- And what you do you eat you go to the -- so so somebody sent in this wonderful rule. If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple you're not really hungry and I find that's incredibly useful only quizzing yourself and realizing you know. I'm not that hungry I'm not anything you -- somebody sent in that ruled this is become something of its -- -- it's a crowd sourced kind of book and this is not my expertise this is the wisdom of our culture I curator of this book and -- it more than I actually. Wrote it and do something to food industry will not want to hear but you say it's always ordered the small. -- what we've had this explosion of supersize media and back when McDonald started. The the only -- came in seven ounces you know how big a small is now. 121216. Ounce sixteen ounce which -- at the -- -- you know plus a chance yet another new rule. Is about flowers though. We shouldn't be eating them. -- don't need to flowers there's a couple of exceptions but basically donate flowers put flat when you when you if you place a bouquet of flowers on the table and everything will taste so much better. And the idea that rule is that -- Played here in food is not just about the quantity -- in -- it's about the whole food experience this is something the Europeans have always understood better than us. It's it's quality not quantity and you get quality by how you set your table who you're eating went. The whole experience of the -- -- saints crowd sourced obviously people have -- more rules than you can possibly -- -- away from fast -- plane lands clean you -- that's one from your viewers. Basically I think that's a good idea I think that corporations like faster corporations are really trying to get between -- your child. About how they -- And you need to take control back of their diet from -- companies that are with the seducing them with toys and -- I don't mind my three year old daughter will be -- learned she's now loaded. To be allowed to eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the -- -- those are the better ones in general they're like 40% sugar by weight. So avoid Michael -- terrific terrific thinks -- Josh thank you very much.

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